In many areas the supply of potable water to the population and to industry is becoming a problem due to the increased use of water, scarcity of its existing supply, growth of population and rising standards of sanitation. Consequently, the costs of obtaining, transporting and treating potable water are increasing and the control of its consumption is of the utmost urgency. The most important way to conserve water is to accurately meter its usage and to charge for such usage.
The use of freely rotatable rotors in turbine fluid meters is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,500,579; 5,016,187; 5,187,989; 4,856,348; 4,798,092; 4,306,457; 3,636,767, incorporated by reference herein. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,700,579 and 4,856,348 each blade carries a magnetic slug (insert) whose movement past a sensor (transducer) is detected by a pickup coil. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,187 the rotor's rotation is detected and counted by a pickup assembly. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,092 the rotor has conductive blades made of "ferromagnetic or like material".
The invention refers to improvements in the rotors of fluid meters and especially an improvement in the magnetic rotors used in electronic water meters.